


Unprecedented Events from the Auror Rulebook

by slytherco



Series: 25 Days of Drarry [13]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, Auror Partners, M/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:46:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22105030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherco/pseuds/slytherco
Summary: Day 13 of 25 Days of Drarry.Prompt: “I didn’t know what to get you.”---Harry and Draco keep getting into fights on duty and Robards is running out of punishments. They decide to tell their boss whats's making them so uneasy.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Series: 25 Days of Drarry [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559188
Comments: 17
Kudos: 438





	Unprecedented Events from the Auror Rulebook

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](https://slytherco.tumblr.com/post/190044295613/25-days-od-drarry-day-13)

“Malfoy! Potter! My office, five minutes!”

The whole room fell deadly silent when a red-faced Robards slammed the door behind him. All eyes fell on Harry and Draco - there were graced with some questioning looks, however, most of their colleagues just seemed amused. Some of them rolled their eyes and went back to their daily tasks, sharing knowing looks.

“Congratulations, you tosser, now you’ve done it.” Draco sneered at Harry, brushing past him.

“Me?! How can you possibly know what he wants?” Harry looked at him incredulously.

“Please, Potter, you saw today’s Prophet.”

Harry gulped. He did see the paper. The fat letters screaming at him from the cover, forming the ridiculous headline: _AURORS POTTER AND MALFOY: FIGHTING CRIME OR EACH OTHER?_

What happened, was they were investigating a theft in Diagon Alley, Theudebert's Cures, or something like that. They fell into their usual banter in front of the witnesses and one of them, Harry wasn’t sure which one anymore, went too far. Being, well, _them_ , it quickly turned into full-blown verbal combat, Draco insulting his intelligence and Harry bemoaning Draco’s general pratishness. Neither of them could ever let it go since they were both eleven years old so their screaming match could be heard all the way down the street. That, in turn, lured in the Prophet’s reporters from a few buildings over.

Harry stayed silent, the picture from the cover still looming before his eyes. They managed to capture the exact moment Harry smacked Draco over the white mop of hair at the top of his head. He chuckled inwardly and made a mental note to frame it for later savouring. It would fit nicely over the fireplace, perhaps, the scene repeating itself on loop for his entertainment.

Following in Malfoy’s steps, he braced himself for another dressing-down from Robards. It must have been the sixth one that month so their boss was understandably upset. Scratch that - he was furious. The press was getting more and more involved and that did not sit well with him.

Both men stepped into the office (or stomped, in Draco’s case). Robards was pacing behind his desk but stopped as soon as the door closed behind Harry. He glowered at them and with a fast swipe of his wand, the blasted Prophet was sent flapping to his desk.

“Sir, I can ex-” Malfoy started but one look from Robards shut him up effectively.

“I will hear no explanations.” The Head Auror hissed, his eyes bugging. “I stopped counting the times when your behaviour was that of fucking children. It’s like you can’t stop yourselves, trying to prove that you will not get along no matter how many times it blows up in your faces! Yours and the whole department’s.”

Malfoy shot a sideways glance to Harry, his eyes narrowed. Harry stifled the need to roll his eyes at the git.

“You will be staying after hours this week and sorting out old case files. Maybe that will teach you how to cooperate in peace, like actual partners. This is an order.”

Harry let out a short gasp, a protest ready on his lips. “But sir, it’s-”

“I don’t care if it’s Christmas, Hannukah, or your great aunt’s funeral, Auror Potter! Maybe next time the two of you will think before you create another pile of _shit_ others will have to clean up for you! _Dismissed!_ ”

Draco muttered something under his breath, fists clenched at his sides.

“Something to add, Auror Malfoy?”

He cleared his throat. “No, sir.” With that, he turned on his heels and left the office, bumping Harry with his shoulder on the way. Hard. 

“Sir.” Harry nodded to Robards and took his leave.

***

It was way past 1 a.m. Harry and Malfoy were cooped up in their shared office, surrounded by piles over piles of paper, both men fueled by rage and coffee. Malfoy was in an especially bad mood - he already managed to tear through two pieces of parchment with the aggressive scribbling of his pen. From time to time, he chucked another crumpled paper cup at the already overfilled trash can in the corner. After four coffees, he glanced at the clock for what must have been the seventeenth time and huffed in irritation, shaking his head.

Harry let out a long, pained sigh and picked up another heavy file.

“Well, there go Christmas preparations,” Malfoy grumbled under his nose and started speaking in a whiny, mocking voice. “Happy Holidays, Draco, I didn’t know what to get you, I’m Harry sodding Potter!”, he shot Harry a dirty look, his face scrunching up comically. “Here’s some bloody _overtime_ , I’m sure you’ll find it very enlightening and productive-”

“Oh, for the… Shut _up_ , will you?” Harry slammed the file on his desk and Draco recoiled a little. He didn’t mean to snap at his partner; he shuddered at the thought of admitting it out loud to Draco but, deep down, he knew he was at least partially to blame for this mess. 

Harry tiredly ran his hands through his hair and slumped on the desk, sending a few pens tumbling to the floor. He heard Draco mutter a spell and the pens landed neatly in a cup beside him, barely making a sound. He didn’t move, breathing heavily, until Draco softly cleared his throat.

“It’s… getting to me. You know?” He exhaled slowly. “All this…”

“Yeah.” Harry raised his head, propping it up on his folded arms. “All this stuff.”

Draco quietly turned in his chair and rolled over to Harry. He waited for him to move, so Harry did, turning as well, looking Draco in the eyes with a sad expression. The blonde raised his hand with hesitation and brushed the side of Harry’s face with delicate fingers. Tucking a lock of hair behind his ear, he relaxed a bit, seeing that Harry wasn’t going to push him away. And how could he, really? He took Draco’s hand in his and kissed his knuckles, slowly, one by one, as the other man closed his eyes, his brows stitched together.

“Harry,” Draco sighed as Harry rubbed soothing circles into his palm. “How do we navigate this shitfest we’ve gotten ourselves into?”

“We could always, y’know.” he looked at Draco, searching, careful. “Come clean.”

“And get separated? Potter, I’m-”

“I know. I don’t like that either.” He looked away as the brilliant silver eyes were piercing into his skin like thousands of needles. It was an obvious solution, the Occam’s razor; the constant risk of being found out was taking a toll on both of them but Robards was bound to assign them new partners to avoid a scandal. There was also the privacy issue - Draco liked to remind him how important it was in their situation - an ex-death eater and The Chosen One, a truly scandalous affair. And what a scandal it would be if everybody found out they were way past the point of _affair_. Harry licked his lips in a nervous gesture.

“Draco. I know people will talk,” he started.

“I don’t give a flying fuck what they think.” He tugged on Harry’s hands. “You do know that, right?” When their eyes eventually locked, he spoke in a calm tone. “I just… don’t want our life to be violated like that. And I really, _really_ don’t want a different Auror as a partner.”

Harry smirked. “You’re that worried about me?”

“Please. Weasley chews with his mouth open, Harding is a clueless brute, and Bowler’s office smells like hard-boiled eggs”, he counted out in a bored tone but there was mirth in his eyes.

Harry huffed and kissed the tip of his nose. “So your only reason is that Robards will force us to switch partners?”

“Of course, you blithering fool,” Draco let out an irritated huff. “Don’t you think it’s a bit too late for everything else since we’re-”

Harry interrupted him as he burst out with laughter, relief and joy washing over him. He took Draco’s face in his hands and planted a sweet, chaste kiss on his lips. The other man’s cheeks turned slightly pink but he held his gaze with a defiant expression.

“I don’t understand what’s so funny, Potter. It may come as a shock but all those months ago, I was perfectly aware of what I had agreed to.” He scowled at Harry who still couldn’t get the goofy grin off his face. “Salazar only knows why.”

Harry shook his head fondly. “It’s good you mentioned that. Because, er, besides the overtime,” he bit his lip with a sheepish expression. “I’ve got something else for you.”

Draco’s raised brow was all bewilderment and curiosity. “Oh, do tell.”

“It’s information.” At that, a sly smile tugged on Draco’s lips. Damn Slytherins. “You know how Hermione is-”

“A know-it-all? Always sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong?”

Harry chuckled. Draco was still sour that she found them out on her own. “That, too. But she’s also kind of good at research. And she helped me go through all the handbooks and Magical Law books we could think of.” Harry couldn’t stop smiling, excitement buzzing in his stomach because of the knowledge he was about to share.

“Had a little study date? Sounds awfully boring.” Draco leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

“No, you tosser, let me finish!” Harry smacked him on the thigh as the other man wiggled his eyebrows. “We’ve searched it all and… There is no rule, Draco. It’s, ah, generally _frowned upon_ , according to Hermione, but there is no rule saying we can’t… You know.”

Draco was staring at him, blinking rapidly. “What? You mean- Are you sure?”

“Robards can’t do shit. Well, technically speaking.”

“But that’s…”

“Ok, I’m going to stop you here.” Harry raised a hand. “We don’t have to make any decisions now. But think about it, ok?” He bit his lips and searched Draco’s face for, well, anything.

Draco immediately leaned in and kissed him hotly, grabbing a fistful of his hair. His reassurance unclenched something in Harry’s stomach that he wasn’t aware of. This was ridiculous, he thought; after all, they were more than just shagging. 

“We’re going to him tomorrow. I’m sick of pretending I don’t love you, you noble, moronic, Gryffindor wanker.” He glanced at the clock and grinned, turning back to Harry, his hand brushing his thigh suggestively. “You don’t suppose someone will come in here at 2 a.m.?”

Harry just grabbed Draco and dragged him to the bathroom.

***

Robards looked at them quizzically as a fat folder of papers landed on his desk with a heavy thump.

“Can I help you, gentlemen?” He laced his fingers in an authoritative manner, his expression stony.

Harry looked to Draco but the other man was currently staring at his shoes. _Thanks for having my back, you tosser._ He cleared his throat. “Sir, there is some information that Dra- er, Auror Malfoy and I need to share.”

Robards was still looking at him and, fucking hell, why did it feel like he was in the Headmaster’s office all over again? He brushed off the thought and continued.

“It’s, er, about our relationship.” He felt Draco’s horror radiating off of him in waves.

At that, their boss perked up. “Are you finally going to behave like professionals? I can always find more filing to do if you decide to act like you’re at Hogwarts again, Auror Potter.”

“Well, the thing is,” Harry croaked. Draco was still silent but made some progress; he was now looking at Robards, a mix of trepidation and determination on his face. Harry cleared his throat and tried again. “Auror Malfoy and I are living together.”

Beside him, Draco let out a long, slow breath he was probably holding since they stepped through the door. The Head Auror regarded them with scrutiny and Harry felt exposed; he was aware that this conversation was not going to be easy but he didn’t expect to stand there in silence and await judgement.

Robards finally spoke, his voice calm. “Potter, could you explain, why I should care who you choose as a flatmate?”

Harry couldn’t quite put his finger on it but his tone was strange. It made him anxious and he wished he could maybe grab Draco’s hand. It was ridiculous - he wasn’t a teenager anymore. He scrambled for the right words. “Erm, actually-”

“Actually,” Draco’s cold, sharp tone cut the air. “What _Harry_ meant was that we live _together._ In a place that we _share._ ” He almost sneered and, thank Merlin, he was back. 

Robard’s eyebrows were continuously rising higher and higher as Draco spoke. At that rate, he would surely run out of forehead soon and the thought was so absurd, Harry wanted to burst out into giggles. 

Draco, unaware of Harry’s rapidly depleting sanity, continued. “Every day, we go there after work and share things.” His stance was almost smug. “Things like meals or, I don’t know, showers. A _bed_.”

With every word that left Draco’s mouth, the Head Auror’s face was turning a darker shade of red. Harry vaguely recalled some muggle cartoon he caught a glimpse of as a child, where steam was coming out of characters’ ears. Marvelous, Robards having a hemorrhage would be the last fucking straw.

“Auror Malfoy, Auror Potter.” He was clutching a pen so tightly, it was about to snap in his fingers. “Are you aware that intimate relationships between Auror partners are prohibited in this department?”, he drawled.

“Not according to the file I’ve provided, sir”, Harry pointed weakly at the heap of papers still sitting untouched on the desk. 

“ _And_ I’m sure that Ms. Granger did her homework”, he carried on as if Harry didn’t just interrupt him, a knowing look in his face. “But I simply cannot allow you to work together if you two are, hm,”

“Fornicating?”, Harry supplied and Draco groaned in utter pain. Robard’s face has taken the shade of a ripe tomato.

“This department cannot deal with a sexual harassment case and the press sniffing around if this gets out. I’m aware the rules don’t specifically forbid it but, given your history and certain, ah, _notoriety_ , I cannot ignore this.” There was finality in his tone but Draco straightened with all his innate air of dominance and authority.

“There will be no false accusations or implications.” With a clenched jaw, he fumbled with the collar of his uniform, undoing the top two buttons. Harry suddenly yearned to become one with the floor because Draco has just called in the big guns.

The blond dipped two fingers underneath his collar and tugged on a thin, silver chain resting around his neck. He pulled it out to reveal a simple, platinum band, burnished and heavy. His nostrils flared as he spoke. 

“Sir, I can assure you that both Auror Potter and I will handle this with the utmost care for the department’s image. As of four months, he and I are engaged but decided to conceal that fact due to various concerns, including the ones already brought up during the course of this meeting. Our recent behaviour was caused by the distress related to keeping this secret. Seeing that our relationship is official, there will be no talk of harassment.” His expression turned devious. “I am sure that the Ministry of Magic would hate to discover an increase in crime due to an unexpected loss of their two most prized Aurors, would it not?”

Harry’s stomach dropped at Draco’s bluff. Did he just threaten Robards they would quit if he reassigned them?

Their boss stared at them, blinking slowly. Well, that was it, he burst a blood vessel and they were going to Azkaban. Draco probably could negotiate a joint cell; with this exceptional technique, he would just embarrass all the Dementors into submission. Finally, the head Auror rolled his eyes in exasperation, groaning.

“You two will drive me to an early grave before I get to see retirement.” He stood up, clasping his hands behind his back. “I’m not saying I like it but as it is already too late, we need to work around this… mess. Also, I suppose I will never hear the end of it and as much as I hate to admit it in these circumstances, you actually are damn good Aurors.” He shot them one last puzzled glance but there was something akin to amusement in his tone. “I have no idea how this happened.”

Draco opened his mouth but Harry elbowed him in the side. Robards huffed in appreciation because yes, for once in their life, Harry was the responsible one.

“I still need to push some paperwork, I’ll keep all interested parties updated.” Harry’s sigh of relief was cut short at Robards’s next wors. “The two of you will do senior citizen duty for the next month. Dismissed.”

“What?! But we came clean!”

“That’s all lost cats and boggarts!”, Harry groaned at the same time.

Their boss walked up to them from behind his desk in a few quick strides and both men took a defensive step back. 

“I now owe the Minister a hundred Galleons so you two will start _immediately_ and will be _overjoyed_ to help the elderly for the next month, _am I making myself clear?_ ”

They didn’t have to be told twice; both Harry and Draco muttered their _yes sirs_ and hurriedly left the office.

***

Two weeks. That was all it took for their secret to be out. The first several days after the big reveal were a nightmare - reporters practically camped outside the ministry, the bolder ones trying to sleep in the atrium. Harry and Draco used glamours a lot and kept on working, doing their penance of senior citizen duty. 

In hindsight, it wasn’t that bad; Draco was perfectly charming to all the old ladies, entertaining them with polite conversation and gushing over the baked goods they seemed adamant to stuff him with. Harry did most of the work but he didn’t mind. Every boggart banished, every cat found in a dark cellar, and every werewolf in an attic that turned out to be a pixie, they were all worth it. Because after, when it was time to leave, Harry could take Draco’s hand and feel the engagement ring snug around his fiancé’s finger.


End file.
